Principles of Principals

Allies, friends, mirrors, social circles, check ins, check outs, special handshakes, hugs, high fives...gone? Outside the walled-off political fortresses, there exists real scientific evidence  regarding the impact of social isolation on children. What evidence?  Well, ask the World Health Organization what happened when the iron curtain fell and we got a look at marginalized children surviving in socialist/communist communities. In the anecdotal extremes, Romanian children held hostage in orphanages by a communist regime who rocked back and forth, presented as intellectually disabled, and grossly underweight/underdeveloped. What evidence?  In recent months, explore the exponential increase of children and adolescent anti-depressant prescriptions since March of 2020(check Utah County). See also the FDA warning regarding the increase of suicidal thoughts in children taking SSRI's. Particularly, when first taking the medication. ( source ). Air pollution incr...

On November 3, 2014, behind the distractions of the mid-term elections; the Arizona State Board of Education approved the RFP from SAGE Testing Company for full implementation of the AzMERIT for Spring 2015. If you're a parent, student, or employed in education you need to know some things about this test. In it's entirety, the test is computer based.  Instead of asking your child to select the correct graph from a menu of choices, they will be asked to create a graphic representation on their own. Admittedly, it's a much DEEPER look into applied knowledge.   Utah took the test last school year with startling results .  Less than half tested proficient. Less than half . Either it's a distilled look at UT children's abilities, or the results are skewed by rapid implementation of new standards, new measures of accountability, and new testing protocols. Is Arizona ready? District's who were preparing, have had a minor shift in preparation towards th...

School choice.   Hot topic at both extremes of the political pendulum.  Legislators and activists beat the choice drum with vigor, urging stakeholders to exercise their ability to choose, while some important criteria remain elusive to those of us who will find themselves facing a growing myriad of choices.  Whether public, private or district...the array is broad. So, how does one choose  a district, charter or private school?  It may be one of the most important commitments we make.  Here are 5.5 criteria that should help get you thinking: Vision - sounds cliche right?  Well, consider asking where the district or group intends to be 5-10 years from now.  If the word traditional  is found anywhere in their mission statement or foundational documents...I'd ask some tough questions. Awards  - not just the type of awards but from whence to they come?  Accolades can be indicative of the network the district or group belongs. ...